The development of targeted genome modification in plants has gone through an evolution from generating random mutations, to creating precise base substitutions, followed by producing insertions, substitutions, and deletions of small DNA segments, and finally achieving precision manipulation of large DNA segments. These four developments have laid a solid technological foundation for carrying out plant basic research and precise molecular breeding. In this presentation, I will describe these four stages of genome editing and systematically outline the technological principles underlying each developmental stage. I will also provide some examples demonstrating their application in the creation of new agricultural crops for the future.